Why Has “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Been So Successful?

Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” was just released a short time ago, and already the picture is proving a box office success for the director. At least when compared to the rest of his filmography.

Coming off of “Moonrise Kingdom,” one of the strongest box office performers of his career, Anderson proves with this film that he really does have the ability to be somewhat of a commercial attraction, despite his renown in the independent film community.

2012’s “Moonrise Kingdom” grossed $68 million worldwide, and “The Grand Budapest” has made $72 million to date. Those may not be unbelievable, record-breaking numbers; but for an indie that was released on such a small number of screens, that is more than a solid turnout.

In its opening weekend, “The Grand Budapest” was put on only four screens. Still, it managed to bring in $800,000. That is $200,000 per screen — a statistic that a Hollywood studio film could never match.

This success for Anderson comes after years of low performing films in terms of box office. “Bottle Rocket,” “Rushmore,” and famously “The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou” all ran at a deficit, with the last of the three being an enormous flop.

People have been wondering why Anderson has found this recent success. There are a number of contributing factors, but the real reason may be that he just makes good films.

Because it was a family film, “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” brought a larger audience to Anderson. The fans he made on that film seem to have carried through to his smaller, more adult pictures, as the films he has made since “Mr. Fox” have been the biggest commercial efforts of his career.

Why do you think Wes Anderson has been able to find success of late? Let me know in the comments below and find me on Twitter @TuckerPoikonen.

About Tucker Poikonen

Tucker Poikonen is an English/Mass Communications and Film Student at Minnesota State University-Moorhead. He reports on stories in the world of film and television for MUIPR. Tucker was born and raised in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. His life long love of movies, television, literature, and writing lead him toward a career as a film critic and entertainment journalist. Tucker is also an avid player of the baritone ukulele.